''The Crime of the Congo'' is a 1909 book by British writer and physician

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for '' A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

, about human rights abuses in the

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leopo ...

, a private state established and controlled by the

King of the Belgians Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's h ...

, Leopold II.

Synopsis

The book was intended as an exposé of the situation in the so-called

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leopo ...

(labelled a "rubber regime" by Conan Doyle), an area occupied and designated as the personal property of

Leopold II of Belgium * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

and where the serious human rights abuses were occurring. Indigenous people in the region were being brutally exploited and tortured, particularly in the lucrative rubber trade. In the introduction to ''The Crime of the Congo'' Conan Doyle wrote: "I am convinced that the reason why public opinion has not been more sensitive upon the question of the Congo Free State is that the terrible story has not been brought thoroughly home to the people", a situation he intended to rectify. Conan Doyle was "strongly of the opinion" that the crimes committed on the Congo were "the greatest to be ever known", and he lauded the work of the

Congo Reform Association The Congo Reform Association (CRA) was a political and Humanitarianism, humanitarian Activism, activist group that sought to promote reform of the Congo Free State, a private territory in Central Africa under the Absolute monarchy, absolute sovere ...

. Conan Doyle was dismissive of the annexation of the state by Belgium, a situation intended to end the personal rule of the King. Conan Doyle noted that slavery and ivory poaching continued to occur after annexation and that "The Congo State was founded by the Belgian King, and exploited by Belgian capital, Belgian soldiers and Belgian concessionnaires. It was defended and upheld by successive Belgian Governments, who did all they could to discourage the Reformers".

Reception

In the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' the book was praised as "the most powerful indictment yet launched against the Belgian rulers of this bloodstained colony". The ''Express'' also noted that "After reviewing the early history of the Congo Free State Sir Arthur quotes the testimony of many unimpeachable witnesses regarding the brutalities of the 'rubber system' and the coldblooded mutilation and massacre of natives during the past fifteen years".

Aftermath

Many academics who have analysed Conan Doyle's life have noted his activism, including his authorship of ''The Crime of the Congo''. In 2009, Cambridge Scholars Publishing released a reprint of the work, in ''Collected Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crime of the Congo, The 1909 non-fiction books Books about imperialism Books about the Democratic Republic of the Congo Books about Leopold II of Belgium Books by Arthur Conan Doyle Congo Free State